New regulations regarding the organization of funeral ceremonies have come into force in China as of March 30, 2026.
Modern.az reports that, according to the new regulations, the use of residential apartments solely for the purpose of storing the ashes of the deceased has been prohibited.
The reason for this decision is the spread of “columbarium apartments” in the country in recent years. Some citizens have started using apartments in ordinary residential buildings not for living, but for storing the ashes of their deceased relatives.
This trend has become even more widespread amidst the aging population, the crisis in the real estate market, and particularly the shortage of space in cemeteries in large cities.
According to information, the housing crisis that began in 2021 has resulted in tens of millions of vacant apartments in China. These apartments remain unsold, and while prices have fallen, the cost of burial plots, conversely, is increasing.
For instance, in 2023, a burial plot measuring just 0.6 square meters at the Sunxeyuan cemetery in Shanghai was sold for 342,000 yuan (approximately 50,000 US dollars). This price surpassed even the most expensive elite apartments in the city per unit area.
The topic has sparked extensive discussions on Chinese social networks. However, even more affordably priced cemeteries remain inaccessible to many residents.
For example, in 2024, a Beijing resident told “Legal Daily” that the price of burial plots in ordinary cemeteries located in remote areas of the capital is around 100,000 yuan (approximately 15,000 dollars). For this reason, he preferred to purchase an apartment in Zhangjiakou, a city located approximately 200 kilometers from the capital, to store the ashes of his relatives there.
